Encounters Festival Recap
Encounters 2024 inaugural Iliso Lethu African Documentary Symposium
The 26th Encounters South Africa International Documentary Festival took place at various venues in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and expanded beyond these two cities reaching Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape, from June 20 to June 30, 2024.
Over 10 days, the festival invited audiences to engage with inspiring films, Q&As, panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, and the inaugural Encounters Iliso Lethu African Documentary Symposium. This year, the festival team selected 51 documentaries from around the world, featuring new styles, formats, and award-winning works from emerging filmmakers and documentary masters.
Encounters collaborated with various industry collectives and organisations to host talks for filmmakers and the public. These conversations were led by storytellers from curated documentaries and experts, including filmmakers, editors, and producers.
Applications Open to Join our Pre-Selection Panel of Film Readers for the 2025 Edition
Encounters Call for Readers
The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is opening applications for film readers for its 2025 edition. We’re looking for passionate individuals with backgrounds in filmmaking, film studies, or criticism to review a range of films from November 2024 to March 2025. Monthly meetings with the Encounters team will provide opportunities for feedback.
This unpaid volunteer position is open to candidates from across Africa, requiring proficiency in written and spoken English. It’s a unique chance to engage with documentaries and enhance your CV through meaningful contributions. We value diversity and are committed to inclusivity.
The closing date for the call is Monday 11 November with a short interview to take place mid/end-November 2024.
Apply here!
ARC X IDFA CP3 Delegation – Kristen van Schie and Chisanga Kabinga
IDFA Festival | Challenging neutrality: Balai & Fardjadniya’s campaign for IDFA 2024
Encounters is pleased to announce that Kristen Van Schie and Chisanga Kabinga will be participating on the ARC x IDFA CP3 delegation for 2024. IDFA, The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, taking place 14-24 November 2024, is the world’s largest documentary festival held annually.
“We are delighted to be included as a partner to select South African documentary filmmakers for this wonderful opportunity to participate at the IDFA Academy and to network with industry players,” said Mandisa Zitha, Encounters Director.
This initiative, a collaboration between DocA, the Africa Real Collective, and the IDFA Bertha Fund, aims to support 4 talented producers and 4 talented directors from across the African continent in participating in the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2024. This marks the second year of the Africa Delegation’s participation, building on the esteemed collaboration and partnership.
Encounters is a member of the The Africa Real Collective (ARC), the brainchild from an alliance of documentary organisations, working within the African Continent.
Afrika Film Festival Cologne Jury Duty
AFFK 2024 Awards Evening
The Afrika Film Festival Köln (AFFK) is a celebrated event showcasing the rich diversity and creativity of African cinema. Held annually in Cologne, Germany, the festival features a wide array of films from across the African continent and its diaspora, fostering cultural exchange and dialogue. The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is a partner of AFFK and is known for championing the documentary form on the continent. This partnership highlights the collaborative spirit between these two influential festivals.
Adding to this partnership, Tarha McKenzie, the Festival Manager of Encounters, was honoured with a position on the Main Jury Prize jury at AFFK. Her expertise and commitment to documentary film made her a valuable addition to the jury, further strengthening the ties between these two significant cultural events. Congratulations to “Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story” (Dir. Luck Razanajaona) for winning the Main Jury Prize and “Omi Nobu” (Dir. Carlos Yuri Ceuninck) for receiving the Special Mention.
Virtual Brazil-South Africa Co-Production Meetings
Virtual Meeting
The Virtual Brazil-South Africa Co-Production Meetings, organised by the National Film and Video Foundation (South Africa), SPCINE (São Paulo), and Encounters, showcased diverse co-production opportunities between Brazil and South Africa. This program, which aims to strengthen cooperation in the documentary film industry, was part of DOCSP, attended recently by Encounters Director Mandisa Zitha. Producers from both nations engaged in one-on-one meetings to discuss their projects and future collaborations on the second day.
Mandisa Zitha, the Encounters Festival Director, was in São Paulo to attend the DOCSP Seminar which takes place in September. Through presentations and dialogues, funds, markets and international festivals position themselves on strategies and possibilities for their international market readiness of projects, films and talents in the international documentary market. DOCSP had participation of the film markets Connecta Firelight Media (Chile) and CCDocumental (France), the Sundance Film Festival funds (USA), Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (USA) and TAG (USA), and the festivals Sunny Side of the Doc (USA), Encounters South African International Documentary Festival (South Africa) and Chicken & Egg Pictures (Canada). Activity co-done with Spcine.
FAME Week / MIP Africa recap
The Role of Film Festivals in promoting African content panel
The recent FAME Week Africa served as a vibrant platform for creativity and innovation, attracting filmmakers and audiences from the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, locally, regionally and internationally.
Several sessions hosted by Encounters and our partners showcased engaging discussions and valuable insights which included the Climate Delegation and Hackathon featuring a well-coordinated climate delegation and an impactful hackathon by Climate Story Lab ZA and UCT TV Centre for Film and Media Studies; The Role of Film Festivals in promoting African content, a robust panel that explored the essential role of film festivals in promoting African content; and Documenting African Stories, an engaging panel focused on the art of documenting narratives from the African continent.
DFM recap
DFM Meet the Festivals
We saw plenty of Encounters team members, filmmakers, collaborators and industry professionals at the 15th Durban FilmMart! This year’s theme, “African Visions Unleashed: From Disruption to Accountability,” showcased DFM’s growth from a local event to a major player in pan-African cinema. Both DFM and Encounters are dedicated to supporting African talent, fostering community, and driving investment in exciting content. We can’t wait to see you at next year’s 27th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival and 16th Durban FilmMart!
Several sessions in collaboration with Encounters and our partners showcased engaging discussions and valuable insights included Meet the Festivals, a roundtable session that brought together festivals to meet with the DFM delegates; the Creating Safer Spaces Round Table session that navigated the transition from on-set dynamics to the realm of festivals and events, spotlighting newer and marginalised voices; and the DFA Unlocking the Vault (Part 3), Navigating Archive Access and Affordability which delved into the critical challenges, needs, and aspirations confronting the South African documentary film community.
Support the Festival
Encounters 2024 Filmmakers Luncheon
Dear Friend of Encounters
We are writing to you with great enthusiasm and gratitude following the remarkable success of our recent 26th edition of the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival.
Your attendance has been instrumental in making this event a triumph, and I am deeply thankful for your continued generosity and belief in our mission.
The latest edition of Encounters brought together a diverse community of filmmakers, practitioners, and audiences from around the world. We hosted many sold-out screenings and witnessed the changing demographics of our audiences to younger and more diverse attendees. The overwhelmingly positive feedback and the significant impact it had on promoting independent cinema have reaffirmed the importance of our work. We are committed to continuing this tradition of excellence and providing a platform for innovative voices in the film industry.
As we look forward to the next edition of the festival, we aim to build on this success and create an even more engaging and enriching experience for our festivalgoers and industry professionals. It is our vision to create programmes that further develop local documentary filmmakers and elevate the craft. To achieve this, we are seeking the support of our valued patrons. Your generous donation will play a crucial role in helping us cover our operational costs to enable us to keep planning for the future.
We invite you to join us once again in making Encounters an unforgettable celebration of documentary, creativity and discourse in the African landscape. Your contribution, whether big or small, will make a significant difference and help us continue to inspire and connect the film community.
To donate, follow this link https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SupportEncounters/ or contact our team at info@encounters.co.za. We are also happy to discuss sponsorship opportunities and ways to acknowledge your support during the festival.
Encounters Training and Development Institute is a registered PBO and can issue a Section 18A certificate for tax-deductible donations, within prescribed limits.
Thank you for considering our request. Together, we can ensure that Encounters remains a beacon of artistic excellence and a vital platform for filmmakers to share their stories with the world.
With sincere appreciation, The Encounters Team